WHAT SHOULD I BE DOING INSTEAD OF THIS?
 
 
by Rick Pender 11.09.2012
Posted In: Theater at 09:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 
 
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Stage Door: The Little Guys

There's plenty of good theater available around town in the next few days, including the just-opened production of Hank Williams: Lost Highway at the Cincinnati Playhouse, as well as Romeo and Juliet and Titus Andronicus, which finish their runs at Cincinnati Shakespeare this weekend. But for this week's edition of Stage Door, I'm recommending three productions that might not be on your radar.One of the big hits of the 2012 Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Grim and Fischer, is back for performances on Friday and Saturday. It was only offered three times back in June, and a lot of people missed the unusual "full-face mask" show about death (aka Grim, as in "Grim Reaper") matching wits with elderly Mrs. Fischer, who's not ready to take her leave of this world. Everyone who saw the wordless piece raved about it, so Know Theatre (they guys who present the Fringe) have brought back the two performers from Wonderheads Theatre in Portland, Ore., to give us three more chances, Friday and Saturday evening at 8 p.m. plus a 3 p.m. Saturday matinee. I'm not missing their 50-minute performance this time around. Tickets ($12): 513-300-5669.Community theater often brings back classics that audiences love, and Footlighters (you can find them at Newport's Stained Glass Theatre, right across the street from the York Street Cafe) is doing just that with Thornton Wilder's 1938 Pulitzer Prize winner, Our Town. But don't think you've been there and done that, since this production takes several familiar conventions and freshens them. The "Stage Manager," usually a folksy older guy, is played by a woman, and many of the references to New England life in the early 1900s are minimized, which makes the show feel a lot more universal and relevant to life today. Through Nov. 18. Tickets ($20): 859-652-3849. And my third recommendation is from another community theater, one that really knows its way around musicals: Cincinnati Music Theatre is staging Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company, a Tony winner from 1970 — and again in 2007 when the Cincinnati Playhouse's revival of the story of Bobby and his married friends moved to Broadway and was named the year's best musical revival. It has a brilliant and energetic score, great comic scenes and songs you're likely to know, including "Another Hundred People," "The Ladies Who Lunch" and "Being Alive." CMT presents its shows at the Aronoff Center's Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Through Nov. 17. Tickets ($22): 513-621-2787.
 
 
by Jac Kern 09.20.2012
Posted In: Events, Performances, Comedy, Benefits at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 
 
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Your Thursday To Do List

Literary festival Books By The Banks may be a month away (Oct. 20 at Duke Energy Convention Center), but local bibliophiles can get in on the fun early with tonight’s Books By The Banks Poster Debut. The festival, now in its sixth year, brings more than 100 local, regional and national authors to Cincinnati for workshops, lectures, meet-and-greets and more for children and adult readers alike. Each year an artist is commissioned to create a poster to represent BBTB. Tonight at Joseph-Beth Cincinnati, Covington artist Marlene Steele will unveil her design. Steele will discuss her poster and join past BBTB artists in a Q&A. 2012’s poster will be on sale for $15; past years’ posters are $10. Channel your inner Marie Antoinette while supporting Transitions Global during tonight’s ELLiPSiS…The Masquerade. Guests are encouraged to dress in their best mystery disguise while enjoying music, art, cocktails, eats and a fashion show. Tickets are $35, $100 for VIP early admission, champagne, hors d'oeuvres and prime catwalk seating. Proceeds benefit Transitions Global, a non-profit organization that helps rehabilitate rescued sex traffic workers and reintegrates them back into society as strong, independent women. Learn more about this important charity here. Tonight’s masquerade at The Bell Event Center opens to the public at 7 p.m. Actor and comedian Kevin Pollack performs at the Levee Funny Bone tonight through Saturday in support of us upcoming book, How I Slept My Way to the Middle: Secrets and Stories from Stage, Screen, and Interwebs. Pollack, who got his big movie break in the Ron Howard/George Lucas adventure, Willow, is best known for roles in A Few Good Men and The Usual Suspects as well as his spot-on impressions. Tonight’s show begins at 8 p.m. He does a mean Christopher Walken. If you missed this summer’s Fringe Festival or couldn’t make it to every show (it’s a difficult task!), Know Theater is presenting four encore Fringe performances through Saturday. Tonight’s Fall Fringe offerings include OCCUPY This: Tales of an Accidental Activist and Kevin J. Thornton: UNFRINGED. Solo performance OCCUPY This (7 p.m.) tells the story of a man who went to Occupy protests just to carry humorous signs but ended up believing in the cause. Thornton’s unscripted show (8:30 p.m.) blends comedic storytelling with original music to create a uniquely engaging performance every time. Find tickets and more information here.
 
 

Ninth Annual Cincy Fringe Sets Records

Freaky fixture in local arts scene brings creativity, community

2 Comments · Monday, June 11, 2012
The most successful Cincinnati Fringe Festival since the annual event’s launch in 2004 wrapped up on June 9, boasting a nearly 9 percent increase in overall attendance compared to 2011, from 7,177 to 7,728. More than 230 artists performed, and the number of sold-out performances, 24, set a new record.  
by Jac Kern 06.05.2012
at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
 
 
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Your Tuesday To Do List

Did you know today is World Environment Day? In 1972, the United Nations designated June 5 as a day to spread global awareness of ecological issues and encourage political response. This year’s theme is Green Economy: Does It Include You? If you partake in some especially green activities this week, such as organizing a recycling drive, planting trees or working to stop plastic bag use, you can register your efforts here for a chance to win a fuel-efficient Kia! As if you didn’t know already, thousands will flock to Riverbend tonight for Radiohead’s first Cincinnati concert. Caribou, who headlined 2010’s MidPoint Music Festival opens the show. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.; the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Oddly, tickets are still available. Hey, Thom Yorke ain't no Jimmy Buffett. For the handful of readers who aren’t attending, La Poste kicks off its Summer Wine Series tonight. The four-event package features three educational wine classes (tonight, July 7 and Aug. 10) and a final five-course grand tasting Sept. 11. Each event begins at 6:30 p.m. Tonight is Wine Tasting 101: Learn from sommeliers about how to taste, discover and interpret different wines. Professionals will describe sight, nose, palate and structural variations and you sip your way through each varietal and enjoy hors d’oeuvre. La Poste promises a comfortable setting for newbies to ask questions. Buy series tickets here or just admission for tonight’s course here.The Fringe Festival continues tonight. Check out a fully lineup with reviews here.Tonight is MOTR Pub's weekly Writer's Night. Fists of Love's Donna J hosts the open mic where all poets, musicians, singers and spoken-word artists are welcome to share original work. One artist will walk away with 40 bucks! Sign ups begin at 8:30 p.m.
 
 

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